smile

The word “smile” means a facial expression made by curving the mouth upward, usually showing happiness or friendliness. In plain terms, to show happiness, amusement, or friendliness by curving your mouth upward.

“Smile” is pronounced SMYL (/ˈsmaɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “smile” used in a sentence: “She greeted us with a warm smile.”

Depending on how it is used, “smile” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “smile” comes from Middle English. From Middle English smilen, from Old Germanic roots, related to an ancient word meaning "to laugh or wonder.".

“Smile” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Smile” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a facial expression made by curving the mouth upward, usually showing happiness or friendliness.

A smile is the general upward curve of the mouth showing happiness or friendliness. A grin is a broader, wider smile that usually shows the teeth and signals strong amusement, mischief or delight. Every grin is a kind of smile, but a grin is bigger and more open than a gentle, closed-mouth smile.

People often distinguish a genuine smile, which reaches the eyes and creates crinkles, from a polite or social smile that involves only the mouth. There are also nervous smiles, shy smiles and knowing smiles. The most studied is the true, felt smile, sometimes called a Duchenne smile after the researcher who described it.

Yes. A forced or polite smile uses only the muscles around the mouth, while a genuine smile also engages the muscles around the eyes. People smile out of courtesy, nerves or social pressure as well as real happiness, so a smile does not always reflect what someone is truly feeling inside.

The clearest opposite is a frown, where the mouth curves downward and the brow tightens, usually showing displeasure, worry or sadness. A scowl or grimace can also stand as an opposite, expressing anger or discomfort. Where a smile signals warmth and happiness, these expressions signal the reverse.